Tail light and number plate



R; S. CROSHAW.

TAIL LIGHT AND NUMBER PLATE. APPUCATION FILED FEB. 2a. \921.

lo I M G M u a Patented July 25, 1922.

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Ralph S. Crab/law GU01 14am R. S. CROSHAW.-

TAIL LIGHT AND NUMBER PLATE APPLICAHON FILED FEB. 28,1921.

Patnted July 25, 1922.

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RALPH S. CROSHAW, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

TAIL LIGHT AND NUMBER PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pfl'bgntgd g l 25 1922 Application filed February 28, 1921. Serial No. 448,393.

T 0 aZZwhmn it may concern Be it known that I, RALPH S. Cnosrmw, acitizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tail Lights and' Number Plates, 01 which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tail lights -for use upon automobiles, and its objects are: first, to provide a combined tail light and illuminated license number plate; second, to provide a means whereby the same number plate may be carried from year to year, and, third, to provide a means whereby the symbol panels in the case may be readily removed and replaced.

I attain these objects by the construction of parts shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of my device. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 44; of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan of a modified form of case. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line 6-6 01 Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an end elevationot the same.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts in the several views.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the case secured directly into the body of the automobile by means of bolts 10 passed through the plate 2. I have here shown an ordinary red bulls eye for the tail light, which is inserted into its panel in the usual manner. The metal plate 52 carries the several panels, 3, a, 5, 6 and 7 with their symbols.

In constructing these plates the license numbers (177-771) are made directly through the plate 2, and, also, the name of the State, as Mich, but the panel 4.- is removable so that the year and State seal may be changed each year. 11 indicates the position of the seal of the Eitate. The wings 8 may be left flat, as in Fig. 1, to form bearings upon the surface of the body, or they may be curved inwardly, as indicated in Fig. 4:, to form retaining elements for holding the glass, 12, in place.

M represents a serial symbol, and the panel 7 containing it may be made removable, or not, as desired, though it is much more satisfactory to have it removable, as by this means the necessity of changing a set of dies for the stamping of each series symbol, is avoided. The wings 9 at the ends.

of the case are designed to retain the position shown in Fig. 1, at all times.

At 13 I have shown an ordinary electric bulb for illuminating the several symbols, and to intensify the lighting effect I prefer that the back case 14: be made practically of the form indicated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, and be highly polished upon the inner surface to form a powerful reflector that will concentrate the light upon the several panels and bring out the several symbols very plainly.

Vhile I prefer that this tail light be mounted upon the vehicle substantially as shown and described, it is to be understood that it may be mounted as other similar tail lights are mounted, to wit, upon a supporting arm or bracket, but no other form of mounting will show so completely finished a job, especially if the tail light is mounted upon cars as a part of their standard equipilluminate through the openings that form the symbols, and make them as plainly discernible by night as in the day time.

There are two very important advantages gained by the use of this tail light and license plate to wit: first, the positive illumination of the license numbers by night, and,

second, in the ordinary manufacture oi license plates every plate must be treated with a separate die or print to form the first right hand numeral, but ten plates can be treated with the same die or print for the second right hand numeral. one hundred for the third numeral, etc., while with my device only the panel 4 need be treated, or changed, and this panel is identical in all numbers or serial numbers of plates.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 I have shown a modified from of construction in which the panels 3 and 4: may be both made separate from the front 2 and may be inserted through the slot 16 in the end of the case to provide for readily inserting and removing these panels. With this construction the bolts 15 act a double purpose, first, to hold the front plate 2 in place upon the back of the case, and, second, to hold the panels 8 and 4 in place by placing these panels between the said bolts and the glass 12, when the latter is used, or between the bolts and the front'plate when the glass panel is not used, and it, also, enables me to reverse the positions of the glass and the panel without difficulty'.

While I have shown this tail light case as designed to be secured directly to the body of the car it is to be understood that it may be mounted upon the car in any practical ordinary manner, as with a bracket or arm, as tail lights are ordinarily placed upon GETS.

It will be readily understood that, with the second advantage heretofore named,

to wit: the use of the same number plate for successive years. and a change, only, in the one panel of the plate, to wit, the State name andseal, the State may be saved fully ninety per cent of the cost of manufacture after the first year, or the first set of number plates produced, and with results far more satisfactory, both as to the display of the number plates, by night, and in the means of identifying one years plates from the preceding year or years through the change, simply, of the panel that carries the year date and the State seal, and where the tail light is secured into the car body there is never a necessity of marring the car finish when changing the number plate. Another advantage is that all necessary symbols may be illuminated from a single source of light.

Vith this form of number plate made continuous, it is a simple matter to provide specially prepared individual number cards corresponding with the license numbers, to be worn by the chauffeur, for the purpose of identification, the cards being provided by the State and so devised as to be easily identified, and hard to counterfeit, thus facilitating the discovery of stolen cars in cases where parties are driving cars without the required identifying card and are unable to properly account for having possession of the car.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new in the art, is:

1. In combination with a combined tail light and license number signal, an enclosing case having a curved reflecting back wall, an electrie light bulb mounted within the case, a removable front platemounted upon the case and having symbol openings therethrough, several detachable signal panels having symbol openings formed therethrough, said detachable panels connected with, and illuminated through the front plate, and readily detachable therefrom.

2. In a combined illuminated tail light and license plate holder for vehicles, a metal casing having a curved reflecting back wall, 3

side positions, and bolts passed through the case immediately back of the symbol plates for holding the case properly assembled and the panels properly in place.

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, February 21, 1921.

RALPH s. caosmiw. if 

